SD Part Eight

During the events of the book, there are a few key factions that play a role in the narrative. Each village is self-contained and can be viewed as a separate faction, but they all fall under the same umbrella category. In the shadows we find the Organization (followers of the light) and dark mages (followers of the dark). The dark fights to reclaim their dead god by every means possible. The light desires an end to the dark and its corrupted mages. Both shadow factions work outside the village umbrella category. They are all outcasts by choice or punishment.

The two primary religious factions can be found within the light and dark, though there are those who worship or honor the light that are not a member, yet all those who worship the dead dark god belong to dark faction. The rise and fall of religion repeat over again throughout history and shows no sign of changing. These transcendental truths are universal and link the fantasy world to ours.

This brings me to the highlight of this discussion. The rangers. They are outcasts who act as mercenaries who offer the villages support by defeating magical beasts (those created by the dark mages) and support the defense and wellbeing of the people. Only those recommended by a current member may join the elite hunters. There may be light or dark faction members within the Ranger ranks, but they are all outcasts who know how to fight and enjoy doing so.

The Rangers support the light by killing the magical beasts created by dark magic, but unknowingly. I can say the same about the dark mages since the Rangers provide opportunity to conduct their magical experiments without having to dispose of any magical test subject.

The MC in the story becomes an outcast to raise her family away from her village, and when her choices wither and die, she does the only sensible option given her martial abilities. She becomes a mercenary until she grew in fame and was offered a place as a Ranger by her brother-in-law.  In the wake of this achievement, the MC continues to sell her skill as a mercenary while contributing to the Rangers by killing beasts any regular elf could never defeat.

The stubborn desires of the elders that make up the ruling council for each village are one of the key elements that lead to the increased population of outcasts who refused to obey and had the desire to walk away and the means to survive after doing so. Those that did not meet the standards of the Rangers or the Organization either found a quiet place to live or found a home within the company of like-minded individuals. These organized bands of outcast elf’s degraded into bandits out of necessity or desire for more. The dark mages loved taking advantage of the bandits to achieve their goals.

All together there are four outcast factions, two in the shadows and two out in the open with one garnering more favor from the villages they are paid to help protect against the fourth who would rather destroy and loot instead of protect. The history and continuation of past conflict shape the world both in the light and in the shadows of the dark, while civilization continues to struggle through time trying to resist change. Everyone desires a place to belong and these factions provide sanctuary and purpose, be It for good or ill.

Which Faction would you be a part of?

Follow tradition and remain a loyal member of your birthplace and village?

Become an outcast by choice for glory as a mercenary, member of the Organization, proud Ranger or by punishment becoming a bandit or joining the dark side as a corrupted dark mage?

Or will you remain a hermit away from making hard decisions that have the potential for enacting meaningful change?

Life is full of choices and consequences, and the people within the fantasy world I have created are no different. I plan on refining and strengthening the core concepts and beliefs of each faction while keeping an open mind to new possibilities and factions that can enhance the reading experience.